1. Field
The present invention relates to the field of data communications. In particular, this invention relates to an apparatus and method for determining physical connectivity between end nodes and networking devices within a network.
2. General Background
Over the last few years, personal and commercial usage of networking technology has increased dramatically. One type of network, referred to as the xe2x80x9cInternet,xe2x80x9d is an enormous compilation of smaller networks connected together through networking devices (e.g., routers) that operate in accordance with a chosen protocol to provide uniform services across the network. The leading protocol is a two-core protocol commonly referred to as Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). xe2x80x9cTCPxe2x80x9d is a connection-oriented transport service while xe2x80x9cIPxe2x80x9d is a connectionless-mode network service.
In general, networks are used to enable data communications between computers, workstations, servers and other types of end nodes. This is accomplished by physically connecting the end nodes to various networking devices of the network. A xe2x80x9cphysical connectionxe2x80x9d is a direct or indirect electrical, magnetic, or acoustic coupling between two hardware products to enable information to be transferred between these products. For identification purposes, each networking device is assigned a widely recognized media access control (MAC) address. Preferably, each MAC address is unique to avoid transmission errors.
Currently, a protocol called xe2x80x9cSimple Network Management Protocolxe2x80x9d (SNMP) is an operational mechanism for network management of TCP/IP-based networks. In accordance with SNMP, a network management server queues each networking device in order to retrieve data related to its interconnectivity with other networking devices. From that data, the network management server is capable of inferring the physical connectivity between networking devices. Unfortunately, this protocol is incapable of ascertaining the physical connections between end nodes and networking devices.
Hence, it would be advantageous to provide a system and method for determining the physical connectivity between end nodes and networking devices. This would provide more flexibility in troubleshooting the network from the perspective of the end node.
Briefly, the present invention relates to a network management server and method for determining physical connectivity between end nodes and networking devices within a network. This provides additional capabilities that have not been supported by the conventional SNMP protocol. According to one embodiment, this physically connectivity is ascertained through successive operations. Initially, levels of priority are established for different link types between networking devices and end nodes of a communication system. For example, as described herein, the types of links in descending priority include (i) an inferred link, (ii) an end node media access control (MAC) address guess (ENMAG) link, and (iii) a networking device MAC address guess NDMAG) link.
Once the priority levels are established, address information resident or incoming to selected ports of the networking devices is detected to determine what links (if any) are associated with these ports. After detection of these links, a determination is made from these links as to which links are associated with the end nodes and have the highest priority level. From that group, the physical connectivity between the end nodes and the networking devices is ascertained.